Car Fire Under Lindbergh Field Flight Path

A late-model Toyota Corolla with Oregon license plates caught fire in the 2500 block of Pacific Highway at around 10:00 a.m. on August 9. The blue-gray car's engine looked to have exploded and the auto's interior was burnt to a crisp. Every window was blown out of the automobile, which had stopped near the corner of Laurel Street.

San Diego firefighters hustled to spray foam retardant as San Diego police and Harbor Police blocked one lane of the busy street and routed the curious passersby along.

The car fire appeared to have occurred close to where planes descend over the Laurel Travel Center on their approach to land at the airport. A heavy chemical smell hung in the morning air.

I asked a Harbor Police officer near the car if the passengers escaped harm and he told me "they were okay."